Camp Constant takes root at Dale Farm as eviction date looms
2:11pm Saturday 27th August 2011
CAMPAIGNERS have begun setting up a protest camp within the Dale Farm traveller site as the eviction deadline nears.
Around 100 people have so far arrived at the illegal site and are setting up Camp Constant to show solidarity with the traveller families who are facing eviction from midnight on Wednesday, August 31.
In front of national media, protesters, Basildon residents and Dale Farm residents pledged to resist any attempts by Basildon Council to go ahead with the £18million eviction.
The camp has been organised by the Dale Farm Solidarity group, which says scores more people are expected to arrive over the coming days, including actress Vanessa Redgrave who is expected to visit on Tuesday.
This afternoon, a man was arrested in nearby Oak Lane on suspicion of making threats to cause criminal damage.
The man, thought to be resident, was led away in handcuffs but Essex Police has no more information available at this time.
FULL STORY AND PICTURES IN MONDAY'S ECHO.
Comments(38)
el caballero de la noche says...
3:00pm Sat 27 Aug 11Another example of camp Bing Anarchists that our nanny State has encouraged, we pay them benefits to do nothing other than conspire against the very system that supports them.Give em Hell Essex Police !!
You have my complete support to smash these vermin.
Shattered says...
3:51pm Sat 27 Aug 11If Dale farm win, then does this mean every one can build whatever they like and get away with it?
naughtyladyofshadylane says...
4:11pm Sat 27 Aug 11travellers travel, or am I wrong? ps bet i don't get the second word below right first time. it's illegible!!!!!!!!!!!
!!! No i didn't!! ah this one looks better ??
bob7 says...
4:19pm Sat 27 Aug 11This problem has been allowed to grow by lack of action when they first arrived. They have been given years to plan civil disobedience. Are the police going to stand around with their hands tied behind their backs or are they going to be allowed to get on with their jobs alongside the bailiffs? I can see this being a very violent, nasty event. Good luck to those having to deal with it.
bob7 says...
4:20pm Sat 27 Aug 11This problem has been allowed to grow by lack of action when they first arrived. They have been given years to plan civil disobedience. Are the police going to stand around with their hands tied behind their backs or are they going to be allowed to get on with their jobs alongside the bailiffs? I can see this being a very violent, nasty event. Good luck to those having to deal with it.
firedog says...
4:26pm Sat 27 Aug 11The usual protest about anything dross
have arrived,not exactly the cavalry,just the imature anti everything
brigade!
originalpickaxe says...
4:27pm Sat 27 Aug 11I,ve already located my ring side seat on a piece of highground with a suitable set of binoculars.
I,m looking forward to this.
Oh and if vanessa Redgrave actually turns up I'll eat my hat (nice leather one too - Indiana Jones style).
ShipShape says...
5:18pm Sat 27 Aug 11Vanessa Redgrave, ooh, she's coming.Bet everyones scared now.
Lets call it all off, she might go and tell her Hollywood mates all about it.
Speaking of American chums, whatever happened to that nice 'advocacy' chap who turned up a few years back?
I remember he came on the message boards a few times to put his point of view across.
mr.happy says...
5:23pm Sat 27 Aug 11Shame they didn't set up camp when the local residents lives were made a living hell some years ago. If they are that concerned about non-travelling travellers then why not take them home with them to stay at their own properties.
Discouraged says...
6:23pm Sat 27 Aug 11Either way we win: If the council succeeds in getting rid of these people great, if not then we are all free to not pay council tax and do what the hell we like as they will have no authority left.
Nebs says...
6:48pm Sat 27 Aug 11Is Camp Constant legal?
APR says...
7:14pm Sat 27 Aug 11Didn't think Vanessa Redgrave was still alive.
You can bet your life that she'll be on the TV news.
woolstone says...
7:20pm Sat 27 Aug 11These people are not really travellers they are more like squatters and they have broken the law. They have had enough time over the years to move to a legal site, so as far as I can see it is not very responsible of them to put they children through this trauma. As for Camp Constant do these protesters support law breakers. The law is the law and the people who live on Dale Farm will have to accept there are no exceptions and must take responsibility of their actions.
I feel sorry for the residents caught in the middle of all this.
Mary Lou says...
8:04pm Sat 27 Aug 11Hmmm breach of the peace, obstucting the police and nor being available for work when claiming benefits. Yep arrest, immediate court hearing and an exemplary sentence of 12 months should do the trick.
anjou says...
9:55pm Sat 27 Aug 11South Norfolk District Council has trousered £300k for providing sites for travellers.. It would not surprise me personally if there was to be an eviction that some of the DF folk would make their way to denton, and gyspy land in denton, and help them spend some of Cllr Balls £1.2 million.Bet they are on the phone to Basildon on tuesday... as well as almost every council in East Anglia.. wonder if Boris as a neighbour has had words with Basildon.
bazza 1 says...
10:38pm Sat 27 Aug 11I can see a movie coming out of this charade. Starring Mel Gibson, and not unlike " Braveheart". I can hear the cries now " You can take our caravans, but you can never take our benefits".
anjou says...
10:47pm Sat 27 Aug 11I thought an ealing comedy..."passport to basildon"..
I would guess that come what may that Basildon will be looking for a new MP and also a new leader of the Council..
Ler us see what Wednesday brings.. to the party
anjou says...
10:49pm Sat 27 Aug 11I thought an ealing comedy..."passport to basildon"..
I would guess that come what may that Basildon will be looking for a new MP and also a new leader of the Council..
Ler us see what Wednesday brings.. to the party..
Mikeyzaz says...
11:00pm Sat 27 Aug 11I would love to join this protest. Unfortunately, I have a job. ****. No doubt this means that I will have to earn the money that pays my bills.what an awful shame.........
shallotman says...
8:16am Sun 28 Aug 11My wife tells me that "Holy Cross" church prayed for them, may I suggest the this church if they are that concerned invites them to camp on Church land at the rear of their other church in the Fremnells.
onegreatjohnny says...
1:16pm Sun 28 Aug 11Never mind Vanessa Redgrave popping in, Brad Pitt - not unknown for taking up an unpopular cause either - will curiously be in the Billericay area at the time filming.If he comes over for a look - in character as Micky O'Neil the Irish gypsy boxer he played in 'Snatch' would be nice - things could really start looking up for the Dale Farm travelers.
They need a break.
Better still ... they need more pitches.
bazza 1 says...
1:52pm Sun 28 Aug 11onegreatjohnny wrote:They need a break? Thats rich. The people that need a break are the ones who suffer from their illegal ways. Why don't these peolple get a break? I'll tell you why, it's because we are governed by a bunch of Liberal minded numpty's. The government in Eire don't put up with this kind of crap from illegal sites. They changed their laws so they can evict them almost instantly. Why do you think they brought their caravans here in the first place? We are an easy touch. Many of these people have houses and properties in Eire, so why do they buy green belt land here, and abuse the law? Simple. MONEY ! They could buy and sell most of us taxpayers a hundred times over. They are total p**s takers, and we will be well shot of them.
Never mind Vanessa Redgrave popping in, Brad Pitt - not unknown for taking up an unpopular cause either - will curiously be in the Billericay area at the time filming.If he comes over for a look - in character as Micky O'Neil the Irish gypsy boxer he played in 'Snatch' would be nice - things could really start looking up for the Dale Farm travelers.
They need a break.
Better still ... they need more pitches.
jolllyboy says...
2:54pm Sun 28 Aug 11Having listened to the radio today I am concerned that many other 'groups' of society support the travellers saying that it is discrimination nazi style.
I am shocked and cannot believe that people support such a blatant fingers up at the law of this country. The situation should never have got this far and has only done so through fear of the human rights card. I hope the bailiffs are careful and have cameras to protect any false claims.
If I built in my back garden I would immediately be having to pull it down. It must not be allowed to be one rule for some and not for others.Supporters of this camp are very misguided and doing so for their own gain.
el caballero de la noche says...
5:36pm Sun 28 Aug 11jolllyboy wrote:Do not be shocked just open your eyes.
Having listened to the radio today I am concerned that many other 'groups' of society support the travellers saying that it is discrimination nazi style.
I am shocked and cannot believe that people support such a blatant fingers up at the law of this country. The situation should never have got this far and has only done so through fear of the human rights card. I hope the bailiffs are careful and have cameras to protect any false claims.
If I built in my back garden I would immediately be having to pull it down. It must not be allowed to be one rule for some and not for others.Supporters of this camp are very misguided and doing so for their own gain.We as a Nanny Socialist State have encouraged Anarchist's to have no respect for the Law of the Land, they are the same groups that disrupted perfectly lawful protests and caused mayhem at the Poll Tax rally, The Student Protests, The anti capitalist protests, They ignore the rights of home owners and squat in many places in London, then take without shame OUR TAXES in benefits that they make no contribution to they also use the NHS at will having contributed shyt.
They are in the noisy minority although believe they speak for me will they do not!! they have received the blessing of the Labour Party (Blair's mob)who have campaigned to ensure their human right, civil rights and to top it all they have also had encouragement from the current Basildon Labour Party, who agree with the travellers Law breaking ways.
The Locals who live around the camp must be sick to death as their rights have had been bulldozed to the point of Armageddon Proportions and I now see today Sunday 28th Aug 5pm that a 52 yr old local has been arrested for threats to cause damage to the law breakers.
If it is the well known local person LG he has my total support and I will certainly contribute to any defence of his Human Rights that have been ignored for far too long.
onegreatjohnny says...
7:32pm Sun 28 Aug 11That's done it ... he'll probably come as Achilles now.
billparsons says...
8:55pm Sun 28 Aug 11What about all the money they spend in legal aid , going to Court and the High Court in appeals. You or I could never afford to do this so we have to abide by the law. I wonder if any of them have been fined for ignoring the enforcement notices.
onegreatjohnny says...
9:35pm Sun 28 Aug 11But there's got to be a better way of dealing with families and children who have taken up residence on what was a scrap yard.The issue is lack of pitches.
Last Poster says...
10:51pm Sun 28 Aug 11I'll lay a bet with you. I bet all these "Campaigners" that are arriving to lend support to the Tinkers will, when the lawbreakers are shoved off the land, rally round and each take a family into their homes. Though I must say, Billericay are past masters at playing "Nimby" so I cannot understand how this ever happened!
Steve H says...
11:21pm Sun 28 Aug 11Where has my post gone?? Has The Echo been taken over by the law breakers? Can't I post the truth?
el caballero de la noche says...
9:44am Mon 29 Aug 11shallotman wrote:I also hear that the Local priest always took a minder of both him and his vehicle with him when he went to the camp and in the end found it necessary to send Nun's onto the camp in a so called 'greater understanding'
My wife tells me that "Holy Cross" church prayed for them, may I suggest the this church if they are that concerned invites them to camp on Church land at the rear of their other church in the Fremnells.Plus the Holy Cross if the truth was known would be glad to see the travellers go so the real locals who cause less aggro could return.
el caballero de la noche says...
9:54am Mon 29 Aug 11onegreatjohnny wrote:Why should we as tax payers pay to provide homes for:
But there's got to be a better way of dealing with families and children who have taken up residence on what was a scrap yard.The issue is lack of pitches.
Irish Nationals
People who want to travel
Law Breakers
Violent and Disorderly People.(This includes their thieving kids)
In Truth we do provide camping pitches all over the country and Law abiding caravaner's do pay for and use the sites, without any problems PLEASE take your head out of the sand and ask yourself a very easy question:
Why should we the tax payers pay for people that kicks us in the teeth especially when Basildon has hundreds of local homelessfolk living in B&B wanting homes.
Sorry but Charity begins at home to those that deserve it.
These Irish travellers deserve all the trouble they have created for themselves, THEY ARE NOT REAL GYPSYS !!!
bazza 1 says...
10:23am Mon 29 Aug 11onegreatjohnny wrote:Why does the taxpayer (ME) have to provide pitches for someone who choses to live in a caravan, or an illegally built residence. Both of my sons and their families were born and bred in England, as were their forefathers for many generations, and they got not one scrap of help from any organisation to find housing. They pay high rents out of their earnings and do this as do most of the country's citizens by hard work. Pray tell me why a bunch of people mostly from Southern Ireland should be treated as a special case? They chose to come to England, and then bend the law to suit themselves. I for one am sick of it, and my guess is that given a chance, the majority of the population feel the same. So sod off and look after youselves.
But there's got to be a better way of dealing with families and children who have taken up residence on what was a scrap yard.The issue is lack of pitches.
onegreatjohnny says...
11:13am Mon 29 Aug 11The majority of the population would bring back public hangings and, doubtless, the added fun of castrations, disembowelments and body part scatterings so beloved by them of yore for paedophiles.But we have representative democracy in this country not mob rule.
Now I'm not saying that these people are angels - we all know what they get up to - and, for sure, the Irish government won't have it over there any longer.
But there's got to be a better way of dealing with the problem of traveler families living on an old scrap yard than this.
How the hell did it develop into this farce and don't give me that crazed anti-Human rights ranting?
We all need those rights and we all need decent government both national and local.
Biker One says...
1:45pm Mon 29 Aug 11onegreatjohnny it has nothing to do with whether they are living on an old scrap yard or not. The original site was indeed on an old scrap yard but it soon grew out of all proportion with the local population finding their home values were plumetting.
You yourself said
But we have representative democracy in this country not mob rule
That's exactly the point. The honest tax payers and residents have seen this mob regarding the law as an arse, not to mention due process when planning regulations are concerned. They have tried every trick in the book to evade eviction.
Now, with the forthcoming eviction you will see them for the lawless scum they really are. There will be violence and injuries not unlike the recent attrocities in London and our other major cities.
Believe me when I say you will swallow your words in the next few weeks.
Democracy is not a word these people recognise, and I would like to see the police and courts lay down harsh penalties when the inevitable violence and disorder begins.
.
In cases such as this I always recall the phrase 'Do as you likey' because this sums up the whole lot of them .
bazza 1 says...
4:28pm Mon 29 Aug 11Biker One wrote:I couldn't have put it better mate. Well said.
onegreatjohnny it has nothing to do with whether they are living on an old scrap yard or not. The original site was indeed on an old scrap yard but it soon grew out of all proportion with the local population finding their home values were plumetting.
You yourself said
But we have representative democracy in this country not mob rule
That's exactly the point. The honest tax payers and residents have seen this mob regarding the law as an arse, not to mention due process when planning regulations are concerned. They have tried every trick in the book to evade eviction.
Now, with the forthcoming eviction you will see them for the lawless scum they really are. There will be violence and injuries not unlike the recent attrocities in London and our other major cities.
Believe me when I say you will swallow your words in the next few weeks.
Democracy is not a word these people recognise, and I would like to see the police and courts lay down harsh penalties when the inevitable violence and disorder begins.
.
In cases such as this I always recall the phrase 'Do as you likey' because this sums up the whole lot of them .
onegreatjohnny says...
8:00pm Mon 29 Aug 11Does anyone out there consider that travellers with no official pitches available and planning laws - remember they own that land - that conspire against their lifestyle are caught in a cleft stick?Do you think that they will just abandon their lifestyle, social connections and way of working to become settled like the rest of us?
It aint't gonna work like that ... it never has for centuries, even when being a traveller was a capital offence in this country.
ConcernedEssexBoy says...
9:38pm Mon 29 Aug 11Unite Against Fascism (UAF), the multi-union and very much Labour party backed group are trying to turn the Dale Farm eviction into a race issue to try to encourage like minded people to get involved in protesting against the evictions.I found this on the UAF website: "The Dale Farm Solidarity campaign will set up a protest camp, ‘Camp Constant’, on Saturday 27 August, four days before the eviction notice comes into force at the end of the month.
The campaign is inviting all antiracists to join them and show their solidarity.
There is also a national demonstration at Dale Farm on Saturday 10 September to protest against the effects that the government’s Localism Bill will have on the UK Traveller community.
The demonstration is supported by UAF, Love Music Hate Racism, No Borders, No One is Illegal, Barbed Wire Britain, UK Uncut Basildon, Feminist Fightback, The Campaign to Close Campsfield, Southall Black Sisters, and numerous anti-cuts groups, trades councils, and human rights projects.
Please contact UAF or the Dale Farm campaign for transport details.
Dale Farm is home to the largest community of travellers in the UK, most of whom are of Irish Traveller or English Gypsy heritage.
Dale Farm campaigners say the proposed eviction, if it goes ahead, is tantamount to ethnic cleansing. Numerous Traveller sites across the UK have already been closed, and the residents forcibly evicted.
Such evictions are not simply about accommodation – they represent the criminalisation of a way of life, and are bound up with racial prejudice.
The attempted eviction should also be seen in its wider European context. In Hungary, members of the fascist Jobbik party’s paramilitary Hungarian Guard regularlys target members of the Roma community.
In France, the government has viciously attacked the Roma community, forcibly breaking up Roma camps and launching a wave of deportations. Even MPs from the ruling party have described these actions as ‘rafles’ – the French word for ‘roundups’ – to bring home what the policy means.
The word is associated with the Second World War roundup of Jews by French police on behalf of the occupying Nazis".
The UAF are looking for trouble, I think.
el caballero de la noche says...
10:42pm Mon 29 Aug 11ConcernedEssexBoy wrote:Do me a bloody favour !!
Unite Against Fascism (UAF), the multi-union and very much Labour party backed group are trying to turn the Dale Farm eviction into a race issue to try to encourage like minded people to get involved in protesting against the evictions.I found this on the UAF website: "The Dale Farm Solidarity campaign will set up a protest camp, ‘Camp Constant’, on Saturday 27 August, four days before the eviction notice comes into force at the end of the month.
The campaign is inviting all antiracists to join them and show their solidarity.
There is also a national demonstration at Dale Farm on Saturday 10 September to protest against the effects that the government’s Localism Bill will have on the UK Traveller community.
The demonstration is supported by UAF, Love Music Hate Racism, No Borders, No One is Illegal, Barbed Wire Britain, UK Uncut Basildon, Feminist Fightback, The Campaign to Close Campsfield, Southall Black Sisters, and numerous anti-cuts groups, trades councils, and human rights projects.
Please contact UAF or the Dale Farm campaign for transport details.
Dale Farm is home to the largest community of travellers in the UK, most of whom are of Irish Traveller or English Gypsy heritage.
Dale Farm campaigners say the proposed eviction, if it goes ahead, is tantamount to ethnic cleansing. Numerous Traveller sites across the UK have already been closed, and the residents forcibly evicted.
Such evictions are not simply about accommodation – they represent the criminalisation of a way of life, and are bound up with racial prejudice.
The attempted eviction should also be seen in its wider European context. In Hungary, members of the fascist Jobbik party’s paramilitary Hungarian Guard regularlys target members of the Roma community.
In France, the government has viciously attacked the Roma community, forcibly breaking up Roma camps and launching a wave of deportations. Even MPs from the ruling party have described these actions as ‘rafles’ – the French word for ‘roundups’ – to bring home what the policy means.
The word is associated with the Second World War roundup of Jews by French police on behalf of the occupying Nazis".
The UAF are looking for trouble, I think.
garbage is rubbish !!
Read these Basildon stories
- Police can help with dog-on-dog attacks
- Wickford man charged over fatal M25 crash
- Destination Africa... via Pitsea, of course
- Hollywood star Brad Pitt expected to film in Billericay on Monday
- Taxpayers will foot bill for new A130 3 times over
- GCSE pupils in south Essex celebrate record results
- Scare as man takes pet snake to town square
- 2 terrier pups died just days after I bought them
- We’re shadows of our former selves!
- Don't miss your Echo for comprehensive coverage of GCSE success in south Essex
2011-08-30
Camp Constant takes root at Dale Farm as eviction date looms (From Echo)
via echo-news.co.uk
